Voltron: Legendary Defender: Will Season 5 Feature An Unexpected Alliance?

Voltron: Legenday Defender season 4 has finally arrived on Netflix, picking up events not long after the end of season 3, showing how Allura and the Paladins of Voltron continue building a coalition to stand against the oppression of the Galra Empire. They've managed to free almost a third of the planets formerly under Zarkon's control, but their rebellion needs a big win if they're going to hold the line against his forces.

So in the final two episodes of season 4, Shiro outlines their plan of attack: Hunk and Pidge will shut down the Galra's communications, leaving them blind to what's happening near the planet, Naxzela; Keith and the Blades of Malmora will capture a massive Galra cannon while Matt (Pidge's long-lost and now-returned brother) and the rebel fighters claim another. These two cannons will provide cover as Voltron arrives on the planet, liberating it from Galra control. A pretty solid plan, all in all, and even with the Galra forces putting up a tough fight, it appears as if this will be the victory the coalition so desperately needs.

Except that the planet Naxzela is a trap - a bomb rigged by the Witch Hagar that, when it explodes, will have a blast radius ranging ten systems! Such a bomb wouldn't only destroy Voltron, but practically all of the coalition's forces, landing a crippling blow for their rebellion. As the Paladins and the Blades and the rebel fighters begin to realize this, it's already too late. Hunk and Pidge can't deactivate the bomb and the corrupted Altean magic it's infused with proves too powerful for Allura to control. They've already lost too many fighters trying to secure the Galra cannons and they cannot break the shields on Haggar's ship to stop her ritual. Keith sees their only option is for him to ram his ship into Haggar's cruiser, kamikaze style, hoping it'll be enough to damage her ship and stop her from detonating the bomb.

But just as he's preparing his suicidal attack, another ship arrives and lands a devastating blast on Hagar's cruiser, disabling it and ending her ritualistic detonation of Naxzela. Who is this mystery savior coming to their rescue? It's Lotor, the son (but recently disowned heir) of Emperor Zarkon and a proven antagonist for Team Voltron. So... why does he save them and what could it mean for Voltron: Legendary Defender season 5?

What is Lotor's Agenda?

To try and understand why Lotor would come to Voltron's rescue in the season 4 finale, we need to first try and understand what is Lotor's true agenda. Since his introduction at the start of season 3, Lotor has been at odds with his father, revealed to have been making his own secret plans while Zarkon hunted for Voltron. Once Zarkon is incapacitated, Lotor begins to make his move, first collecting the trans-dimensional comet which King Alfor had used to create the Lions of Voltron and from it crafting ships of his own.

When season 4 begins, however, Zarkon reawakens and returns to his duties as Emperor. This frees Lotor to resume his work, but after constructing a third ship and having little of the comet's ore remaining, he needs to alter his plans. He realizes that he'll need to travel to the former Galra homeworld, Daibazaal, and open the gate with his remaining Quintessence in order to enter that reality of infinite Quintessence and gather what he needs to create more ships. Hagar, meawhile, has been suspicious of Lotor for some time, so when he leaves after being dismissed by his father, she compromises one of his generals and spies on him. Once Hagar learns the true nature of his plans, she informs Zarkon, who immediately initiates a manhunt for his (their?) traitorous son.

Now, Legendary Defender hasn't outright explained for what purpose Lotor is creating these ships, but just by looking at the designs, he's almost certainly planning to create his own super-robot like Voltron. It would then make sense for Zarkon and Hagar to see that as a major threat to their power. Not too mention, reclaiming Voltron has been Zarkon's driving force all series long, so to have his son go behind his back and begin construction on his own Voltron-like robot, well, that's got to feel like a slap in the face.